Alliances to Strengthen Los Angeles County’s Life Sciences Community

LOS ANGELES – (Sept. 27, 2016) – California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), the nation’s largest statewide public policy and business leadership organization representing California’s leading life sciences innovators, today announced new strategic partnerships with LA BioMed and Lab Launch, and the unveiling of its Los Angeles satellite office, to regularly engage and bolster Los Angeles County’s life sciences community.

LA BioMed is one of the country’s leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It facilitates approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and therapies for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. Lab Launch is a bioscience incubator that enables scientists and entrepreneurs of Los Angeles to develop their ideas in affordable, high-quality lab facilities, with access to services and a supportive innovation community to accelerate their success.

“Los Angeles is home to numerous world-class research universities, teaching hospitals, biomedical research organizations and start-up firms. The region also boasts thousands of gifted scientists and a highly skilled talent pool of life sciences graduates, many with advanced degrees,” said Sara Radcliffe, President and CEO of California Life Sciences Association (CLSA). “This is a pivotal time for the life sciences sector in Los Angeles and we’re thrilled to partner with LA BioMed and Lab Launch, with whom we share a long standing commitment to growing a world-class innovation hub in and around the greater Los Angeles area.”

Both alliances reflect CLSA’s strategic investment towards enhancing the visibility of the Los Angeles region as a competitive life sciences cluster and destination. These alliances will harness the full power of CLSA’s statewide market access, business resources and commercialization services, while leveraging the strengths and scale of LA BioMed and Lab Launch to help foster the expansion of biotech start-ups.

As part of the agreement with Lab Launch, CLSA will open its new office in Monrovia. The new location will bolster CLSA’s current work in Los Angeles County including political advocacy, special industry events, and professional development to create a thriving life sciences sector in Los Angeles.

“Our partnership with California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is right in line with Lab Launch’s mission to create an environment that fosters high-growth startup businesses in Los Angeles County,” said Llewellyn J. Cox, PhD, CEO of Lab Launch Inc. “CLSA’s business solutions programs and public policy advocacy offerings are essential to reverse the trend of young companies moving to San Francisco or San Diego to commercialize their businesses. This partnership will encourage research discoveries from Los Angeles’ universities to stay in Los Angeles, grow into successful businesses, employ staff from the area, and lay down a strong foundation for the 21st century economy.”

CLSA and LA BioMed will work together to offer services and programming including commercialization and capital access programs. The agreement also allows eligible stakeholders to participate in CLSA’s Business Solutions program that leverages its $100 million buying power to offer steep discounts and quality services ranging from lab supplies to its healthcare benefits TRUST program.

“Life sciences technologies are predicted to be among the leading growth industries of the 21st century. This alliance with California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the latest in LA BioMed’s ongoing work to help solve the world’s most pressing health concerns,” said David Meyer, PhD, President and CEO of LA BioMed. “We are very pleased to work with CLSA and foster an environment that encourages advanced discoveries by the researchers of tomorrow while promoting local, national, and international health and wellness advancements far into our future.”

About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the state’s largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization. With offices in Sacramento, San Diego, South San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC, CLSA works closely with industry, government, academia and others to shape public policy, improve access to innovative technologies and grow California’s life sciences economy. CLSA serves biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics companies, research universities and institutes, investors and service providers throughout the Golden State. CLSA was founded in 2015 when the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio) and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) merged. Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org, and follow us on Twitter @CALifeSciences, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About LA BioMedFounded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country’s leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and therapies for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including prenatal counseling and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit http://www.LABioMed.org.

About Lab LaunchLab Launch’s mission is to enable the scientists and entrepreneurs of Los Angeles to develop their ideas in affordable, high-quality lab facilities, with access to services and a supportive innovation community to accelerate their success. Our vision for the future of Los Angeles is a vibrant network of affordable, accessible biotech incubators across the region, where life science innovators from any background can access the facilities and equipment they need to move their ideas forward. For more information, please visit http://lablaunch.org/.